Man charged with murder forced another man to stab a woman after shooting, court documents say

Dec. 10, 2012

Marlo B. Hodges

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Moments after shooting a man with a shotgun, Marlo B. Hodges forced another man at gunpoint to stab a woman, police say witnesses told them.

Hodges, 51, was charged over the weekend with first-degree murder in connection with a Friday shooting at 1360 E. Brower St. Hodges remains at large.

According to a probable cause statement filed by Springfield police, Joseph McAndrew, who lives at the address, told authorities Hodges came to the house at about 2:30 p.m. Friday and asked if McAndrew and McAndrew’s girlfriend, Sherry Acker, wanted to join him in buying heroin. Hodges asked the couple to contact James D. Davis and Kimberly Robinson and have them come to the house to sell them the heroin.

The statement said Acker called Robinson and then left the house, according to McAndrew. Police said McAndrew told them Hodges then went into a bathroom and stayed there until after Robinson and Davis arrived.

When they came to the house, McAndrew said he led them into the kitchen where Hodges joined them. Hodges began arguing with Davis about assaulting him in the past and McAndrew said he went into the living room to avoid the argument, the statement said.

Moments later, McAndrew told police he heard a loud “boom” come from the kitchen. Hodges yelled for McAndrew to come back to the kitchen, the statement said.

Robinson, who was in the kitchen, said Acker was still at the house and let her and Davis inside and brought them to the kitchen. Acker then left, Robinson told police, and McAndrew came in. Just after that, Hodges came into the kitchen with a shotgun. Acker told police she left as Hodges and Davis began to argue and was not present for the shooting.

“Robinson said Hodges did not say anything at that point, but pointed the gun directly at Davis and fired one round,” the statement said.

The statement said McAndrew told police that when he went back into the kitchen he saw Hodges pointing a shotgun at Davis, who was lying against the wall and bleeding from the chest.

That’s when Hodges gave McAndrew a large knife.

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“Kill that bitch,” Hodges said, according to both McAndrew and Robinson.

The statement said McAndrew told police he refused, but Hodges pointed the shotgun at his head and again ordered him to kill Robinson. She was sitting at the kitchen table.

McAndrew said he feared for his life and began stabbing Robinson in the upper torso, according to the statement. Robinson told police McAndrew said he was sorry before he began stabbing her.

“Robinson said she fell to the ground on top of Davis and said McAndrew continued to try to stab her,” the statement said.

McAndrew told police that while he was stabbing Robinson, Davis had gotten up and began fighting with Hodges over the shotgun. McAndrew said he went to try to separate them and get the gun and Robinson ran out of the room. Robinson said McAndrew went to “assist” Hodges during the fight.

The statement said McAndrew told police after taking control of the shotgun, Hodges fled through the back door of the house and Davis collapsed onto the kitchen floor and was not breathing.

Robinson, who left the house, told police she flagged down a passing motorist, who let her use a cell phone to call 911. The statement said Robinson had two non-life threatening stab wounds, one on the arm and one on the shoulder.

In the statement, police said that when they arrived at the house, they saw a large amoutn of blood on the kitchen floor and walls and a man wearing a yellow shirt covered in blood laying face down on the kitchen floor. The man was later identified as Davis.

Police said Davis, 34, was from the St. Louis area but had been in Springfield for a “period of time.” On Saturday night, police identified Hodges, 51, and said he is 5 feet, 10 inches tall and about 190 pounds. In addition, police said he may be driving a 2000 four-door Jaguar with Missouri license plate CF2M7X.